Last weekend about a dozen nude avatars competed in RMB City, the ongoing art project of my friend Cao Fei (known as China Tracy in SL). On the surface, "Naked Idol" was pretty much like "American Idol", except instead of singing old pop songs, people showed off new digital skins. And that was sassy fun in itself. But the contest was also about how people relate to their avatar in a shared virtual space-- as Fei put it in her opening remarks, "between realities that penetrate dreams and dreams that project onto realities; between visible and invisible, between you and me." Or to put it another way: How do you feel when your avatar is naked, and people are looking at it, and what does that say about you?
During the question and answer period for the contestants, for example, Storm Vayandar (above) told us she consciously chose a curvier female avatar shape, than is common in Second Life. "[W]anted to be something a little different," she told us. And when fellow judge Rodion Resistance asked her if she felt more naked in lingerie, than if she was just fully nude, she said this: "Oddly, yes. Leaving a little something to the imagination feels more revealing than running around starkers."
The Grand Prize winner was Vivienne Graves, for reasons you'll see after below; first runner up was Molly Montale, who wore her nudity like a geopolitical metaphor (oh yes!) Second runner up was Ford Roffo, who got all simian up in it.
Impressive display of digital flesh after the break -- obviously not safe for work, unless you work at Nerve.com or somesuch, in which case it's research.
First, contestants were put through their paces around the city, on animation pose balls set up for that purpose. Here's the mandatory nude beach scene.
Yes, that's Sauron getting a suntan on the island for unexplained reasons. One nude to rule them all, one nude to guide them?)
See, Sauron. I was hoping he'd rock a lime green Borat mankini, but no luck. Standing to next to him is NWN videographer faerie ColeMarie Soleil, who poofed into a pile of naked bodies, somewhat perplexed.
The final line-up of contestants, who came down one-by-one to answer judges' questions. (How does it feel to be virually naked? Why'd you choose that body? What's it feel like to have a, well, detachable penis? And so on.)
Competitors included a freed Gorean slave who spoke of herself in the third person, and a naked slyph whose skin looked like tree bark. Second runner up in the chimpanzee in the middle there, Ford Roffo, going for a 2001 meets Jackson Pollack sort of deal.
Molly Montale took second prize for her unique nude avatar, with animated Chinese characters that glittered across her digitized skin. "I wanted an avatar that says 21st century China," she explained to us.
Finally, the winner of "Naked Idol" was Vivienne Graves, who combined an incredibly vivid skin with sculpted cats legs and cyberpunk trimmings - sort of like a Neko meets a Suicide Girl (click for full view):
"I identify with a lot of traits that are considered 'feline'; independence, curiosity, playfulness... and the avatar is a way to represent that," she told us. She feels more naked in her fantastic state, for as she put it, "as a catgirl it's possibly more an expression of something a bit feral and untamed." It's for avatars like these that make Second Life unique and irreplaceable.
Speaking of which, an NWN consolation prize to Adric Antfam and Kara Trapdoor, for attempting to corrupt the judge with, well, temptations to think about roads not taken:
Insanely sexy ass roads.
I'm glad you all approved ;)
~Stormy
Posted by: Storm | Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 10:21 PM
I wonder if I had any luck if I went with this look: http://pixelboyatsl.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/june-4th-2010-lost-in-paradise/ :P
Posted by: Nuno McCullough | Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 04:24 AM
@Nuno
That's exactly my outfit during the event :D
-RODION
Posted by: Rodion Resistance | Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 04:02 PM
lolool @Rodion we should take a picture side by side lol the twin Adams
Posted by: Nuno McCullough | Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 04:10 AM
If you'll look closely in picture #4 you'll see me naked. But who hasn't !!! ;)
Posted by: GoSpeed Racer | Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Wait, wait, wait ... there was sweet, sweet nakedness and I wasn't there? *commences weeping*
Posted by: Marx Dudek | Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 09:05 PM